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Fisheries 

of the 



Far Ea^em Republic 




Published by 

The Special Delegation of the Far Eastern Republic 
to the United States of America 

Washington, D. C. 

1922. 



LIBRARY OF CONGi^ESS 

JUN191922 



• FbAs 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Page 

Chapter I. Introduction 3 

Chapter II. Species of Fish in the Waters of the Russian Far East — 6 

Chapter III. Fishing Industry of the Far Eastern Republic 12 

1 — The Nilcolaevsk District 12 

2 — The Southwestern District 19 

3— The Saghalien District 20 

Fishing in the Convention Waters 20 

Fishing in the District Outside of the Convention 

Waters 21 

Total Catch and Preparation of Fish 21 

4 — The Mariinsk (Lower Amur) District 22 

5 — The Khabarovsk District 22 

Chapter IV. The Fishing Industry in the Territories adjacent to the 

Far Eastern Republic and connected with it 24 

1— Okhotsk District 25 

2 — Western Kamchatka District 26 

3 — Eastern Kamchatka District 28 

Chapter V. The Japanese and the Russian Fishing Industry in the 

Russian Far East 30 

Appendix The Nnmber of Fishing Leases and average catch of Fish 
in the Districts of the Far Eastern Republic and those ad 

jacent to it 33 

A — Waters of the Far Eastern Republic 33 

I — Bay of Peter the Great 33 

II — Tartar Straight 34 

III — Basin of the Lower Amur River and its Firth 34 

B — Waters adjacent to the Far Eastern Republic 34 

I — Northern Coast of the Okhotsk Sea 34 

\ II — Western Coast of Kamchatka 34 

III — Eastern Coast of Kamchatka 35 



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CHAPTER I 

INTRODUCTION 

The Russian Far East iis sunroimded by ttie seas of Japan, 
Okhotsk and Behring, asnd it has a coastline of ailmostt 12,000 
miles. Becauisie of the inexhaustible wealth in fish, it became, 
in the period prior to the World War, one of the important 
sources of food supply. From the Russian Far East fish and 
fish products were shipped to Japan, China, Korea, Siberia, 
European Russia and western European countries. In spite of 
the primitive m|ethods employed in the fishinig industry in the 
Far East, which are characteristic of thie first stages of any in- 
dustry, the genieral world situation in the fisherieis was such 
that sales for any quantity of fish were assured. This made 
oeirtain the influx of capital and thfe organization of the fishing 
industry by more modern methods, as well as the organization 
of industries allied to the fis^hing industry, siuch as salting, can- 
ning and refrigerating. 

In 1914 the Rusisilan fishing indusjtry had at its disposal 22 
steamers of the Russian^ Volunteer Fleet, with a registered ton- 
nage of 42,100 tons. The Amiur fishing industry had a great 
many river vessels which transported from Khabarovsk, Blagov- 
eshchensk, Stretensk and Harbin, about 50,000 tons of fislh pro- 
ducts to ithe markets of Siberia and Rusisia. In 1904 the total 
number of men em(ployed in the fishing imdutetry was^ 24,904, of 
whiCh 11,925 were Russian. The total catch of salmon during 1914 
was 96,500,000 pieces. During the year 1912, 796.7 tons of canned 
fish were exported to the London market ; to the other Europan 
maJrkets, 39,417.5 tons of fislh and fish products and to Japan, 
58,140.8 tons. In 1913 the amount of fish and fish products ex- 
ported reached similar proportions. Exports to the European 
miarkets amounted to 56,695.8 tonsi; to the Japanesie markets, 
69,775.7 tonis', besides shipments of 849.2 tons of herring to 
Europe and 2,155.4 tons of herring to Japan during the same 
year. 

3 



In(d!icatioins that sources of fish in otihier countries were be- 
coming exhaiusted emphasized the world importance for the im- 
mediate future of the fish supply of the Russian Far East. Lack 
of regulaitions in the fishing industry in the Russian Far East 
and the resulting injury to the industry were felt. The Japan- 
ese, who, isince the Russo-Japamese war, had received greiat free- 
dom in the expiloitation of the Russian fishieries, have been par- 
ticularly rapacioius. But, in spite of this', until the present time 
there has been noticed no sign of any exhaustion of the fish 
stupply in the Russian Far Easit. The considerable curtailment 
in the wqrld supplies of fish nevertheless makes it imperative 
that the fishing industry be more regulated and that the existing 
supplies be protected and that scientific methods of breeding 
various valuable species of fish be applied. During the last few 
years, becausie of miLitary intervention in the Russian Far East, 
which gave the Japanese an opportunity to freely dispose on 
land and sea with the fishing industry, the Russian Far East 
haS' been prevented from carrying out the necessary measures, 
but there is no doubt that upon the establislhment of a normal 
state of affairs, i. e. after the departure of the Japanese troops, 
such mieasures will be adopted and the fish supply of the Russian 
Far East will be assured a place in the world markets that it 
deserves. 

Inasmuch as the terriltory of the Far Eastiem Republic is 
surrounded only by the Japanese Sea, and only partly by the 
Okhotsk Sea (Kalmchatka and a larger part of the Okhotsk coast 
do not belbng to the territory of the Far Eastem Republic. The 
coast line of the Far Eastern Republic stretches from Vladiv- 
ositok along the Japaniesiei Sea acrosis the Tartar Strait, including 
Saghalien and along the Okhotsk Sea to Cape MadjaMhda), con- 
eequently althoug^h the natural resources of the Russian Far 
East cannot be considered ajs the direct wealth of the Far East- 
em Republic, nevertheless the unity which always existed be- 
tween the various parts of the Russian Far East and the fact 
that Vladivostok was the principlie trading center of that 
country makes it imperative to consider economically the entire 
Russian Far East as a single unit. Vladivostok will remain in 
the future or at least for the next twenty years, the trading 
center of the entire Ruslsian Far East. 



Besiides the markets of Japan, Kofrea and China, as well as 
the European miarkets, all of Siberia and European Russia will 
undoubtedly sioon become a vast market for the fish and fish 
products of the Far Eastern Republic. Even prior to the war, 
when Russia consiumed on the average 3,'0i00','000 tons of meat, 
Russia coniaumied about 2,000,000 tons of fish, of which about 
1,700,000 tons were obtained within Russian territory. Now, 
when, in connection with war and revolution, the annual consum- 
ption of meat has been reduced to a minimum, the consiumption 
of fisih will have to increasie in a considerable porportion. This 
fisih will have to be brought from the outside, and in this respect 
the first place will undoubtedly belong to the fish products of 
the Far Eastern Republic. 



CHAPTER II 

SPECIES OF FISH IN THE WATEiRS OF THE 

RUSSIAN FAR 
EAST 



In accordance with authoritative Rusisian investiigations, 
there are 116 different species of fish in the northern part of the 
Japanese Sea, 121 in the Okhotsk Sea, and 165 in the Behrimg 
Sea. Most of the fish found in these countries are as follows: 



Sea Fish 


Fish Ascending 


Fresh Water 


Crustaceans 




Rivers 


Fish 




cod 


sturgeon 


carp 


crabs 


herring 


dogfish 


bream 


shrimps 


haddock 


hansen 


pike 




turbot 


humpback 


ellpont 




flounder 


red salmon 


grayling 




(various species) 




trout 




mackerel 


dolly varden 
king salmon 
whitefish 
smelt 


etc. 





Fish mjoist valuable commercially are as follows: salmon, 
codfish, iherring also crabs and shrimps. Of commerical value 
also are: trepangis, oysters, and sea weed (kelp, etc.) 

COD — found in great numbers along the entire coast from 
the gulf of Peter the Great to Behring Sea. Many Japanese are 
engaged in cod catching on the Russian shores. There is a big 
future in store for the cod fishing industry. This is also true 
with respect to the haddock (a member of the ood family, and 
closely related to the European navaga). The haddock (wak- 
hnia) can be found lin great abundanioe, and is a valuable fish. 

HERRING — along the coasts of the seas of Japan, Okhotsk, 
Behring, in large quantities. Industry is being conducted in 
the Japan Sea, Gulf of Peter, the Great, Gulf of Tartary, and 
Saghalien (w^estern coast). Herring is caught during the sea- 
son beginning with the end of March up to the middle of June. 



In the Gulf of Peter the Great it can also be caught from the 
middle of November to the mliddle of March. The bigg-eist speci- 
mens weigh over one pound; the average weight (abounding in 
the Sea of Japan) is about one-half pound. Korea and the ad- 
jacent part of Manchuria consume a considerable amount, most 
of the catch oominig from the Gulf of Peter the Great. The 
average annual catch is 75,000,000 pieces, or 17^000' tons, in 
weight. There is practically no industry on the coast of Kam 
chatka, Okhotsk Sea and Behring Sea, but the steadily grow- 
ing demand will, no doubt, lead to the development of the indust- 
ry there in the near future. The herring is used as food and 
for fish guano in Japan. The product prepared from the herring 
is of a high quality. The highest quality herring is of the au- 
tumn catch. Russia is a very large consiumer of her ring, and 
the Russian market will always be open to the products of the 
Far Eastern Republic. 

FLAT FISH— There are between 15 and 20 species of flat 
fish, most of them of considerable industrial value. The indus- 
try at present iis small, but will grow up in the future owing to 
the increasing demand. 

SALMONS — Represent the bulk of the fishing industry in 
the Russian Far East. The species of soUmon are: humpback 
(gorbusha — local name) , "dog salmon" or "chum" (keta) , silver 
salmon (kijuch), red salmon (krasnaya), king salmon (chavicha). 
The earliest fish is the king salmon, entering the rivers at the 
middle of May; then come the red sa'lmoin, at tihe beginning of 
June. The humpback comes at the end of June (in the Amur 
at thie middle of June) ; the dog salmon at the beginning of July, 
and silver salmon last in August. In the Amiur river the first 
arrival is the humpback, after the river has been cleared from 
ice. Then from the middle of July the summer "keta" arrives, 
and from tlie middle of August the so-called autumn "keta" 
makes its appearance. The most valuable Amur salmon is the 
autumn "keta" which comes up the latest. The summer keta 
is in the second place. The Kamchatka keta is of about the 
same quality as that of the Amur. The Okhtotsk keta is con- 
sidered by some people as even superior. As pointed out, the 
"dog salmon", (keta), of the Pacific coast of the Far Eastern 
Republie and that of the adjacent Russian Pacific coast terri- 



1914 


1916 


Average 


% 


% 


1911-1916 

% 


76.7 


78.0 


47.6 


21.1 


15.0 


47.0 


1.5 


5.3 


4.0 


0.7 


1.7 


1.4 



tory ia of a high quality and of great economiic value, and must 
not be confused with the American "dog salmon". 

With regard to the quantity of the different species of sal- 
mon, caught in the Russian Pacific waters, the first place belongs 
to the humpback, then the dog salmon, and, following consecu- 
tively, the red salmon, king salmon, and silver salmon. Th<e 
figures of the 1914, 1916,, and average for the period 1911-1916, 
may serve as an illustratiiom : 



Fish 



humpback 

keta (dog salmon) 

red salmon 

king and silver salmon 

Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 

As regards the place of catch of salmon, in the most im- 
portant parts of the Russian Far East, the folowing figures 
based on official statistics for the period of 1911-1916 may be 
given as average: 



Average Catch in Percentage 

Place tons 

Japan Sea 

)Amur 
Okhotsk ) Okhotsk & Sagalien 
Sea ) regions 

)Wesitern Kamchatka 

Behring Sea, Eastern 

TC ^ TD p n Ji i" K 3 
Total average catch 161,200 100.0 

As all the official statistics are based upon the returns of 
the traders, most of whom dimiinish the figures in order to avoid 
taxation, the total figures may safely be increased ten percent. 

Th'e above table includes both the coastal waters of the 
Far Eastern Republic and those of the adjacent Russian Terri- 
tory closidy connected with the economic hfe of the Far Eastern 
Republic. 

8 



53,300) 

8,300) 

) 

75,000) 


1,300 
136.600 


33.0) 

5.2) 

) 

46.6) 


0.7 
84.8 




23,300 




14.5 



With reference only to the Far Eastern RepubHc, the aver- 
age figures are : 

PLACE AVERAGE CATCH (in tons) PERCENTAGE 

Japan Sea l.aOO 0?7 

Okhotsk Sea 

(Amur 53,300 33.0 

(Saghalin 2,800 1.7 



Total 57,400 35.4% 



So the mo'st important coastal territory in the Russian Far 
East with regard to salmon fishing is the Amur in the Far East- 
em Republic, and Western Kamchatka in the adjacent terri- 
tories. 

The future salmon industry must be based not upon the 
quantity but upon the quality of the product, and attention 
must be paid in the first place to canning, salting, and refrigera- 
tion. 

CRABS — Becauise of their large size and their tasty meat, 
these are espedalily valuable. During the last few years they 
have becomie of great commercial importance. The principle 
place of catch is the southern waters of the Far Eastern Repub- 
lic, the Bay of America up to Cape Povorotni, the Bay Vostok, 
the Us'sury Bay and Amur Bay. Crab fishing takes place in the 
spring from the middle of March to thie end of April, and in the 
fall from the beiginning of September to the middle of Novem- 
ber, and in isome places even up to December. The spring sea- 
son is considered the best. Crabs are sold fre^h or dried (for 
Korean and Chinese markets) , and canined. 

There iS no doubt a bright future for the crab industry, 
which is just beginning to be developed. The markets for them 
were Korea, China proper, and Manchuria, the people of which 
used them in the form of dried crab-meat. The canning of crabs 
began but a few years ago, and the Japanese were very busy 
in securing considerable amounts of coast sections for crab- 
fishing. In 1921 on one of the coast sections, near the Povorotni 
peninsiulla, there was constructed a plant for canming, and, in a 
short time, it prepared from the season's yield 1,500 boxes of 
canned crabs. A plant erected in the same year near the river 



Svetlaya, south of Imperial Bay, prepared, during the first half 
of the seasion, sieveral thousands of boxes. 

SHRIMPS — Are found in great quanties in small enclosed 
bays', which are thickly grown with seaweeds. They are found 
©specially in the Bay of Strelok, the Bay Vostok, Bay Nakhodka, 
the southern waters of the Far Eastern Republic. They are got^ 
ten, like crabsi, in the spring and the fall. Because of their ten- 
der and tasty meat and the large quaiftities in which they are 
found they are important in the fishing industry. 

OYSTERS — In numbers oysters occupy the first place among 
the mollusks', in the waters of the Far Eastern Republic. Oyster 
beds can be found in the northern part of the Amur Bay, in the 
Bay Expediition and Novgorodsk. The oysters are of a very 
large size. Chiniese, Koreans and Japanese buy them in large 
quantities. The best oysters of the< Russian Far East are con- 
sidered those in the Bay of De-Kastri. 

TREPANGS — Fishermen and peasants catch trepangs pri- 
marily for the Chinesie. They are caught in the spring and the 
fall. In summer they cannot be caught because they submerge 
to a very great depth (105 — 140 feet), and hide in the rocks, 
while in the spring and the fall they submerge to a depth of from 
40^ — 56 feet. The catch is particulady good in the fall. The 
value of the trepang depends upon the color (when alive) . They 
are white and violet. The violet ones are of the greatest value. 

Of sea products of industrial importance is SEA CABBAGE. 
Sea cabbage is a brown sea weed, of long leaves emanating 
from a common root which grows from the bottom of the sea. 
The length of the leaves is about 7 meters and the width about 
40 centimeters. The sea cabbage grows mainly in rocky soil, 
usually near the shore. In some places it is so thick that it is 
difficulty for a boat to pass. This weed grows to a depth of from 
3-31/2 feet and as deep as 210 feet. There is a great demand for 
this weed in China, to which it was exported in large quantities. 
It is found along the entire coast of the Japanese sea, and along 
the Saghaiien Island. In th^ Bay of Peter the Great, the prin^ 
cipal places where sea cabbage is found is the Bay of America, 
the Bay Vostok, Strait of Strelok, Island Askold, the coastline 
of the mainlland of the Ussury Bay, and other places. The sea- 

10 



©on for obtaining isea cabbage begins in April and ends in Sep- 
tember. 

Of some commercial importance also are whales, cachalots, 
delphins and seals. Whales and cachalots are found in con- 
siderable numbersi near the northwest end of Saghalien, and 
north of the Chaivinsk Bay, near Shantar Islands, and in the 
Okhotsk Sea, but mostly! in the waters of Chukotsk-Anadir re- 
gion. Sea lions are found mostly in the Chukotsk-Anadir region. 



11 



CHAPTER III 

FISHING INDUSTRY 

of the 

FAR EASTERN REPUBLIC 

The fishing industry of the Far Eastern Republic is con- 
centrated in the Amur River, Japanese Sea and the Bay of 
Peter the Great. The Govern'ment divided the fishing region 
into five districts^ of which the first three are the most impor- 
tant. The districts are as follows: 

1 — Nikolaevsk 

2 — So uth western 

3 — Saghalien 

4 — Mariinsk (Lower Aimur) 

5 — Khabarovsk 

I — The Nikolaevsk District 

The Nikolaevsk District includes: all of the lower part of 
the river Amur, from the village Zimmermanovka to the mouth 
of the Amur River, a distance of 300 miles, in which district in- 
tensive fishing is done; the river Amgun, a tributary of the 
Amur River, 200 miles long; the Amur Firth, along the mainland 
coastline, 145 miles long, and the ooaist of Saghalien for about 
135 miles; also the southwestern coast of the Okhotsk Sea, west 
of the firth, within the limits of the( Ud County, with a coast- 
line of 870 miles. This district was almost the first one where 
the Russian fishing industry began to devdopi in the Far East, 
and it has attained great proportions and is the best organized. 

About fifty years ago the fishing in this district was very 
small. Because of the lack of railroads, sales could be made only 
in local city markets, and these cities at that time, were very 
siparselly populated, such as Khabarovsk, Blagoveshchensk, 
Stretenisk, Nikolsk, Vladivostok, etc. The principal buyer was 
the War Department which isupplied local troops with Amur 
fish. Since 1892, when the Japanese market was opened for this 

12 



fiiSihi, the situation changed. In 1892, 2 Japanese schooners of 
160 tons each came for the first time to Nikolaevsk. Ten years 
later, in 1902, there came to the Nikolaevsk fisheries 52 schoon- 
ers and 22 ©hips, with a total tonnage of 12,490 tons, and eight 
years later, in 1910, there came to the lower Amur and Saghalien 
coast of the Amur firth 52 schooners and 81 ships with a total 
tonnage of 36,404 tons (6,622+29,782). These figures show 
how speedily the export of Nikolaevsk fish for Japanese markets 
grew. 

The following table shows conclusively the general growth 
in the fisihdng industry of this district. 



Year 



Total Catch of Fish in the Nikolaevsk Region 

Total Catch Exported to Japan 
tons tons 



Consumed in 

Internal 

Markets 

tons 



1892 
1893 
1894 
1895 
1896 
1897 
1898 
1899 
1900 
1901 
1902 
1903 
1904 
1905 
1906 
1907 
1908 
1909 
1910 
1911 
1912 
1913 
1914 



3,533.3 
2,550.0 
2,516.7 
3,200.0 
5,283.3 
16,900.0 
19,250.0 
29.983.3 
47,116.7 
36,033.3 
40,100.0 
48,450.0 
28,416.7 
26,950.0 
43,900.0 
36,450.0 
35,566.7 
47,383.3 
56,416.7 
50,216.7 
49,483.3 
58,033.0 
35,433.3 



83.3 

250.0 

500.0 

1,000.0 

1,833.3 

12,233.3 

15,500.0 

25,100.0 

43,283.3 

31,766.7 

33,066.7 

41,383.3 

9,483.3 

11,833.3 

20,333.3 

20,283.3 

19.783.3 

20,633.3 

16,950.0 

7,283.3 

6,033.3 

5,433.3 



3,450.0 

2,300.0 

2,016.7 

2,200.0 

3,450.0 

4,666.7 

3.750.0 

4,883.3 

3,833.3 

4,266.7 

7,033.3 

7,066.7 

18,933.3 

26,950.0 

32,066.7 

16,116.7 

15,283.3 

27,600.0 

35,783.3 

33,266.7 

42,200.0 

52^000.0 

30,000.0 



According to the statistics of the Pri-Amur Department of 
State Properties in 1913 the fisheries of this district brought 
to the Government Treasury as payment for the annual rental 
of these district fisheries 320,796 gold rubles, and to the city 
of Nikolaevsk during the same year 170,198 gold rubles, a total 
of 490,994 gold rubles. These districts are divided in the fol- 
lowing manner. 



13 



Category of Fisheries No. of Annual Rent 

Districts Rubles Kopeks 



National Government 

Fishing Districts 


(Long term lease 
(One year lease 


23 

7 


218,024 
21,354 


~ 


Allied fishing 
industries 


(Long term lease 
(One year lease 

Total 


47 
34 


39,484 
41,934 


21 




111 


320,796 


21 


City Government 

Fishing Districts 


(Long term lease 
(One year lease 


14 

13 


112,564 
56.384 


23 


Allied fisihing 
indtistries 


(Long term lease 
(One year lease 
Total 


"i 


"250 


~ 




28 


170,198 


23 




Grand Total 


139 


490,994 


44 













The Japanese played an important part in the development 
of the fishing industry of this distirict, but this growth could in 
no way be cons.idered as a gain for the local population, and the 
state. For a long time Russia received only a smaTil tax (7 kopeks 
per pood (36.11 lbs.) from Japanese fishing in the lower part of 
the Amlur. The catching and all the work in the canning, etc., 
of the fish which) were caught by the Japanese themselves and 
also those bought by them were done exclusively by Japanese 
labor, and all the supplies for the laborers, such as their food, 
clothing, etc., as well as all the supplies necessary to carry on 
these industries were brought from Japan. Under such condi- 
tions the local Russian population had very little benefit from 
the constantly growing exports of the Amur fish to Japan. At 
the same time it was necessary to colonize these fruitful dis- 
tracts and to use the fishing resources for the increasing of the 
prosperity of the Russian and aboriginal local population. This 
situation compelled the Priamur Department of State Properties, 
under whose jurisdiction were four provinces, Amur, Maritime 
Kamchatka and Saghalien, to work out special provisional reg- 
ulations for the fishing industry in the lower part of the Amur. 
In accordance with these regulations, which were formulated in 
1900 by the Priamur Governor General, foreigners were abso- 

14 



luteliy prohibited from fishing in the Nikolaevsk district, and 
were given only the right to buy fish from the local population 
and to prepare the fish in special government aliTjotments, which 
were leased for that purpose. After this, the district entered 
upon a new phase of developm^ent. Because of the demand for 
fresh fish in the lower part of the Amur, the local population, 
(aboriginal and peasants), engaged in fishing on a large scale> 
and later, Russdan subjects engaged in this industry on a large 
scale, and Russian labor was used. The Japanese had to limit 
themsel(ves to the salting of fresh fish which was sold by the 
Russians, but the fact that the fishing industry depended upon 
the Japanese market was used by the Japanese in order to con- 
stantly lower the prices of fish. After the conclusion of the 
Russo-Japanese Fisheries Convention in 1907 when the Japanese 
received great opportunity to exploit the fishing resources of 
the Kamchatka-Okhotsk districts, they began to lower the prices 
still more for the fish purchased by them in the Amur District. 
This constant dependency of the fisihing industry of this district 
on the Japanese market soon began to be felt, and local fisher- 
men began making efforts to obtain additional markets. The 
lowering to a considerable deigree of the railroad tariffs in 1910 
for the transportation of fish to Siberia and European Russia 
showed inmiediate results: the export to Russia of valuable fish 
products from the Nikolaevsk district began to grow and the 
exports to Japan decreasied. In 1912 ondy 34 schooners and 53 
ships, having a total tonnage of 20,536, (4304 plus 16,232), came 
to the Nikolaevsk fisheriesi and beginning wilth 1915, when tre- 
mendous quantities of fish were needed for the army and the 
' population at the front, the export to Japan ceased almost en- 
tirely. The following two tables show the state of the fishing 
industry from 1910-1917, the amount of fish exported to Japan, 
and the amount of fish consumed by the Russian market. The 
exact data regarding the exports during 1915 and 1916 is lack- 
ing, but it is known that almost the entire fish supply was con- 
sumed at that time (during the war) by the Russian market. 



15 



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17 



In 1920, as a result of the aggressive actions of the Jap- 
anese Nikolaevsk events began to develop, as a result of which 
many fishermen have suffered. In the period after the Japanese 
occupation of Saghalien and the Nikolaevsk region, almost the 
entire Russian fishing industry was seized by the Japanese Mili- 
tary Command, which substituted Japanese for Russians, and 
the new temporary masters began to loot the fishing wealth 
without any control or regulations. 

Besides the keta and humpback in the Nikolaevsk District, 
of great importance is the catch of sturgeon and whitefish in 
the Amur Firth. The number of sturgeon and whitefish caught 
is much less than that of keta and humpback, and is conceal, 
trated almost exclusively in the hands of the local peasant and 
aboriginal population. The commercial value of other fish, such 
as carp, gwiniad, pike, crucian, salmo-thymallus, grayling, brook 
trout, is not yet great. In the firth are caught smelts, dorse, and 
herring. All these species are often sold fresh in the local 
markets. They are also partially sold in the frozen, salted and 
smoked states. There is also to be found lamprey, of which 
valuable products can be made, but there is not much fishing 
of this species because of the lack of demand for it. 

In 1907 a great deal of salmon caviar was thrown away, 
and only since 1908 has the demand for it become such that it 
began to be prepared in large quantities. 

Approximate) figures- of the catch and of the species for the 
years 1909-1912 can be seen froim the following table: 





1909 


1910 


1911 


1912 


Kind of Fish 




in 


tons 




whitefish 


91.1 


216.3 


176.8 


234.7 


whitefish roe 


1.0 


1.3 


1.6 


1.6 


sturgeon 


18.3 


48.8 


33.3 


37.2 


gwiniad 


36.9 


65.5 


204.8 


79.3 


crucian 


18.2 


19.8 


99.4 


86.3 


carp 


21.1 


17.4 


59.9 


55.2 


pike 




11.1 


58.9 


43.7 


salmo-thymallus 


1.6 


4.2 


30.0 


1.2 


dorse 


1.8 


26.1 


15.1 


30.8 


smelt 


7.6 


80.0 


34.6 


79.7 



The canning industry of the Nikolaevsk District did not 
attain large proportions although it began to develop. 



18 



2 — The Southwestern District 

The Southwestern District stretches from the frontier of 
Korea to the southern frontier of the firth of the Amur River 
(along the capes of Lazarev and Pogdbi) , and embraces the coast- 
line of the Ck)nvention Waters, and also the coastline of the Bays 
which are excluded from the Convention Waters (Bay of Peter 
the Great, The Imperatorsky Port, Bay of Vanin, etc.) the length 
of the coastline of the district being about 1300 miles. 

The character and the conditions of the fishing industry 
of this district is divided into unequal parts: the northern, which 
begins with Cape Povorotny, and which, with the exception of 
a few bays, contains the Convention Waters of the district ; and, 
secondly, the southern, which consists of the large Bay of Peter 
the Great and the Bay Posiet, which are excluded from the 
Convention Waters. In the northern, the Convention 
part (i. e. the parts in which the Japanese have equal rights 
with the Russians to the fisheries) , the industry is mostly fish- 
ing. During the last few years, the catching of crabs and the 
obtaining of sea cabbage began to develop. The fishing dis- 
tricts here are leased at auction, and the overwhelming ma- 
jority of the large and small scale fishermen are Japanese. 

Of the isalmon species, only the humpback and keta are 
caught here, both species in rather small quantities, and the 
humpback predominating. The principle catch is the spring 
herring, which is prepared by the Japanese for fertilizer. In 
the Bay of Peter the Great, the area of which is about 3,000 
square sea miles, there is a great variety of fishinig. Besides 
these, there are caught crabs, sihrimps, oysters, trepangs, and 
sea cabbage is also 6btained. 

Fishermen of the Bay of Peter the Great have very close 
conections with the Chinese and Korean markets. The fishing 
in the district goes on throughout the year. A great deal of the 
fish is salted for the European market, and the proximity of 
Vladivostok to the railroad permits the isale of fish in a fres'h 
state or freshly salted state. Almost all the fishermen, large 
and small, are Russians. 

In the Bay of Peter the Great the average catch for the 
last three years was approximately as follows: 



19 



Herring caught by large scale fishermen 


45,000,000 pes.. 


Herring caught by peasants 


40,000,000 pes. 


Various Species 


2,500 tons 


Sea Cabbage 


1,666.7 tons 


Shrimps 


25 tons 


Crabs 


5,000 tons 


Trepangs 


from 1,000,000 pes. 




up to 4,000.000 pes. 


Oysters and Clams of various sorts 


from 1,000,000 pes. 




up to 2,000.000 pc» 



An approximate idea of the total catch in the entire i&outh- 
em sea district can be obtained from the following table em- 
bracing the period from 1910-1919. 

Total Catch of Fish in the Southern Sea District 



Year 


Total Catch 


Exported to Japan 


For Internal 






in tons. 




Market 


1910 


3,100.0 




3,100.0 




1911 


5,700.0 




4,500.0 


1,200.0 


1912 


5,050.0 




3,566.7 


1,483.3 


1913 


5.500.0 




3,833.3 


1,666.7 


1914 


7,416.7 




4,716.7 


2,700.0 


1918 


8,333.3 




5,000.0 


3,333.3 


1919 


16,666.7 




7,950.0 


8,716.7 



3_The Saghalien District 
Fishing in the Convention Waters 

This district embraces the entire coastline excluding that, 
part of the Tartar Strait which belongs to Nikolaevsk. 

The fishing industry in the coastline in the Convention part 
of the District in 1913 consisted of 9 leases for sea fishing, of 
which 4 were leased by Russians and 5 by Japanese. Besides 
those in the Niisk Bay, one fishing district was leased by the 
Japanese. In 1911, 13 districts were leased ; in 1912, 10 districts. 
During the following years the fishing industry grew. During 
the years 1911, 1912, and 1913, the following quantities of fish 
were caught in this district : 



Kind of Fish 



1911 



1912 1913 

number of pieces caught 



Keta 

Humpback 

Herring 



31,000 

286,000 

12,640,000 



16,000 

126,000 

14,036,000 



38,000 

183,000 

4,482,000 



20 



The total quantity of prepared fish products amounted to: 

1911 1,211.5 tons 

1912 1,067.9 tons 

1913 598.8 tons 

The quantity from 583 to 1,350 tons is considered the aver- 
;age catch of this district. 

Fishing in the District Outside of the Convention Waters 

In 1913 Russian fishermen had leased 4 fishing allotments, 
of which 2 were for fishing and 2 for fish preparation. The fish- 
ing preparation was actually done only on one allotment, (salt- 
ing). In this district there was purchased from the population 
35,000 pieces of keta, and 956 pieces of humpback, all of which 
was prepared. The fish salted by the Russian method amounted 
to 79.2 tons, and the amount of roe salted according to the Rus- 
sian method was 11.7 tons, a total of 90.9 tons. During the year 
1912, 1248.3 tons of various fish products were prepared in this 
district. 

The Total Catch and Preparation of Fish 

The total catch and preparation of fish in the districts out- 
side of the Convention Waters during the year 1913 were as 
f oldows : 



fish salted, Russian method 

fish salted by dry method for . 

caviar salted, Russian method 

fertilizer from herrings 

fish oil 

caviar prepared by Japanese method 



During the year 1911 in the entire district there were pre- 
pared for commercial purposes 1317.1 tons, and during the year 
1912 1,192.7 tons of fish products. During the latter years the 
total catch increased, and the number of herring caught was 
from twenty to twenty-five million pieces, and humpback up to 
five hundred thousand pieces. These figures are the average 
for this district. 

4 — The Mariinsk (Lower Amur) District 

This district borders on the lower part of the Amur, from 

21 





79.1 tons 


mese market 


274.0 tons 




21.9 tons 




274.0 tons 




37.6 tons 


)d 


3.0 tons 


Total for the dist. 


689.6 tons 



the village Troitsky to the village Sofiisk, a length of 275 miles, 
and in the north it reaches Khabarovsk and in the south the 
Nikolaevsk fishing districts. 

The total catch during the years 1911, 1912, and 1913, was 
as follows: 

Kind of fish 1911 ] 1912 1913 

number of pieces cau.ght 

humpback - 450 

summer keta 78,461 117,700 77,460 

fall keta 1,118.770 1,033,559 948,056 

The quantity of fish products prepared for commercial purposes in 

1913 was: 

summer keta 189.4 tons 

fall keta 2,352.4 tons 

salmon roe 130.5 tons 



total 2,672.3 tons 

Sturgeon fishing was in the hands of the local population, 
and is shipped to the Russian market. The average annual 
catch is about 170 tons. 

5— The Khabarovsk District 

This district embraces 130 miles along the Amur River,, 
from the City of Khabarovsk to the northern bolder of the Mari- 
insk District. The Khabarovsk District is very much like the- 
neighboring Mariinsk District. 

During the year 1913 the population caught 268,514 pieces 
of fall keta, and two large scale fishermen caught 10,000 pieces, 
a total of 278,514 pieces. Of this amount 154,035 pieces were 
consumed by the local population, and the rest was sold in a 
fresh and salted state. Sturgeon caught for commercial pur- 
poses amounted to 2,865 pieces, weighing 12.1 tons, Kaluga 
(kind of sturgeon) for commercial purposes amounted to 1,575 
pieces, weighing 17.8 tons. These figures have been very much 
reduced, and in reality they are much greater. 

Besides these species the following are caught in this dis- 
trict : pike, bream, carp, silurus, crucian, etc. 

As is evident from these figures, which are average for this, 
district, it is not important from a commercial point of view. 

22 



The following table shows the quantity of salmon caviar 
prepared from 1907-1912, in the fisheries located now in the 
territory of the Far Eastern Republic. The caviar was prepared 
by the Russiian Method. 





in 
tons 




DISTRICTS 




Year 




Khabar- 


South- 






Total 


Nikolaevsk 


Marinsk ovsk 


western 


Sap:halien 






tons 


tons tons 


tons 


tons 


1907 


200 


200 








1908 


808.3 


808.3 








1909 


1,616.7 


1,616.7 








1910 


2,577.3 


2,400.0 


160.6 10.0 




6.7 


1911 


1,653.2 


1,420.0 


130.0 41.7 


11.6 


49.9 


1912 


1,560.4 


1,390.8 


122.8 20.0 


11.3 


15.5 



28 



CHAPTER IV 

THE FISHING INDUSTRY IN THE TERRITORIES 

ADJACENT TO THE FAR EASTERN 

REPUBLIC AND CONNECTED 

WITH IT. 

The fishing industry of the adjacent districts is concentrated 
in the following regions: Okhotsk, Western Kamchatka, East- 
ern Kamchatka. 

The industry is mostly concentrated in Japanese hands, 
who have taken great advantage of the rights received by them 
in 1907, and which were provided for by the Fisheries Conven- 
tion. In general, the beginning of the fishing industry in this 
large and rich district began in 1896. The followig tables, noim- 
bers I and II, indicate: first, the quick development of the indus- 
try during the period 1896-1900; and second: the condition of 
the fishing industry during the period 1910-1915. 

TABLE NO. I 







Qu: 


antity of 


Catch 


Years 


fisheries 




fish 


in 










pieces 


tons 


1896 


2 






13,292 


32.4 


1897 


4 






15,400 


348.1 


1898 


5 






329,770 


631.6 


1899 


14 






1,000,000 


2,083.3 


1900 


47 




31/2-4.000,000 


7,500.0 






TABLE 


NO. II 














For Home 


Years 


Total 


Catch 




Exp. Abroad 
in tons 


Consumption 
in tons 


1910 




32,750.0 




32,750.0 




1911 




71,900.0 




64,350.0 


7,550.0 


1912 




47,233.3 




39,733.3 


7,500.0 


1913 




46,366.7 




41,333.3 


5,033.4 


1914 




95,533.3 




82,250.0 


13,283.3 


1915 




132,183.3 




54,266.7 


77,916.6 


1916 




133,200.0 




61,666.7 


71,533.3 


1917 




124,116.7 








1918 




93,350.0 




73,683.3 


19,666.7 


1919 




39,950.0 




34,166.7 


5,783.3 



24 



The center of the Russian fishing industry was the Bays 
and Rivers in which, according to the Convention, the Japanese 
had no right to fish. There were 34 such bays, and the Japanese 
were not allowed to fish in any of the rivers. Brief data regard- 
ing individual districts will give a general view of the state of 
the fishing industry and its possibilities : 

1— OKHOTSK DISTRICT 

The Catch on the Sea Coast (Convention Waters) 

(4 districts ) (4 districts) (7 districts) 

Kind of Fish 1911 _ 1912 1913 

Pieces caug^ht 



keta 


641,000 


730,000 


680,000 


humpback 


_ 


16,000 


204,000 


red salmon 


38,000 


9 


_ 



total quantity of 

prepared fish shipped 

from this district 1,729.2 tons 1,891.5 tons 2,004.7 tons 



The Catch in the River Districts (Non-Convention Waters) 


Kind of Fish 1911 1912 

in tons 


1913 


mostly keta 713.6 1,334.5 


1442.3 


Total Catch in the Okhotsk District (for 


3 years) 


1911 1912 
in tons 


1913 


Convention Waters 1.729.2 1,891.5 
Non-Convention Waters 713.6 1,334.0 


2,004.7 
1,442.4 


total 2,442.8 3,225.5 


3,447.1 



Keta occupied the first place, and then the humpback and 
then red salmon. During the following years, the num^ber of 
districts increased comsiderably, and the total catch also in- 
creased. The total catch of Keta reached from 50,000.-58,333.3 
tons. 

2— WESTERN KAMCHATKA DISTRICT 

This district includes all of the western coast of Kamchatka 



25 



133 


148 


allot- 


allot- 


ments 


ments 



with a length of 800 miles. The lessees are overwhelmlinigly 
Japanese. The Russians were mostly concerned in the prepa- 
ration of caviar. The total catch in the Sea Districts (Conven- 
tion Waters) was : 

Total Catch in Sea Districts (Convention Waters) 

Kind of Fish 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 

109 102 139 
allot- allot- allot- 
ments ments ments 
number of pieces caught 

keta 2,047,000 7,112,000 2,790.000 3,557,000 4,094,000 

humpback 9,702,000 3,313,000 39,128,000 17,048,000 25,501,000 

red salmon 527,000 1,298,000 1,528,000 819,000 1,294,000 

silver salmon 18,000 615,000 329,000 74,000 68,000 

Total pes. 12,294,000 12,338,000 43,775,000 21,498,000 30,957,000 
Total in tons 15,518.2 48,321,7 23,837.3 24,553.3 37,603.7 

The sale of caviar prepared in these districts assumed 
wide proportions in the Russian market, and became one of the 
principal fish products prepared in the sea districts. The Rus- 
sian fishermen, primarily the lessees of the river districts pur- 
chased it from the lessees of the sea districts. Those Japanese 
lessees who did not sell the roe to the Russians prepared it them- 
selves by the Japanese method. (Their method of preparing the 
roe is as follows : the roe is washed out thoroughly, then mixed 
with a great quantity of salt, and shipped in specially prepared 
boxes or small barrels.) 

In 1913, the Japanese prepared, by their method, 152.4 tons 
of roe. By the Russian method there were prepared 1,134.5 tons, 
of which quantity 191.4 tons were prepared in the river disw 
tricts by Russian fishermen and 943.1 tons were prepared by 
Russians in the Sea Districts, (from roe purchased from the 
Japanese. 

The total catch in the River Districts (Non-Convention Waters) 



Kind of Fish 


(12 allotments) (13 allotmentsi) 
number of pieces 
1912 1913 


Keta 

Humpback 
Red Salmon 
Silver Salmon 


246,000 

930,000 

480,000 

33,000 




373,000 

1,842,000 

226.000 

33,000 


Total 


1,689,000 




2,474,000 



26 



In 1911 the catch in the River District was 3,595.1 tons. Of 
this amount 2,095.6 tons, or 58% was exported to the Japanese 
market. In 1912, the catch was 2,830.7 tons, of which 835.5 tons, 
or 30%, was exported to the Japanese market. In 1913, the 
catch was 4,010 tons, of which 844.7 tons, or 21%, was exported 
to tbe Japanese market. The balance went to the Rusisian 
market, where the demand was constantly growing. Hump- 
back was the fish miostly exported to Japan. 

Total Catch of Fish in the District in 1913 

number of pieces 



King Red Silver 

Districts salmon Keta humpback Salmon Salmon 



Sea Districts 
(Convention 
Waters) 
Hiver Districts 
(Non Conv. 
Waters) 

Total no. pes. 



5,311 4,094,519 25,501,447 1,294,623 68.274 



4,196 373,812 1,842,090 226,653 33,195 



9,507 4,468,331 27,343,537 1,521,276 101.469 



Of this Amount was prepared: 



Fish for the Russian Market 
Canned for European market 
Dried, salted, for Japanese market 
Roe by Russian method 
Roe by Japanse method 
Fertilizer 



Total 



tons 

2,843,9 

1.134.9 

37,429.4 

1,349.3 

152.4 

4.2 



42,914.2 tons 



In 1911 fishing products prepared from the total catch 51,779.8 tons 

In 1912 fishing products prepared from the total catch 28,307.6 tons 

In 1913, 12 canneries were worked in this district. Of this 
2 were on the River allotments. In all of the canneries of the 
Sea aldotmentsi there were prepared 41,186 cases of canned fish 
and in the canneries of tbe River allotments, 4,208 cases were 
prepared. Altogether there were prepared 45,394 cases, weigh- 
ing about 1,134.9 tons net. 



27 



3— EASTERN KAMCHATKA DISTRICT 

This district embraces the eastern coast of Kamtchatka 
and Anadir regian, the coastline being 1,840 miles. 

Catch in the Sea District (Convention Waters) 

(38 dist.) (54 dist.) (61 dist.) 

Kind of Fish 1911 1912 1913 

Number of Pieces 



king salmon 


8,000 


29,000 


30.000 


keta 


3,085,000 


3,414.000 


6,464,000 


humpback 


1,627,000 


497,000 


2,624,000^ 


silver salmon 


218,000 


249,000 


98,000 


red salmon 


750,000 


745,000 


399.000 


Toatl pieces 


5,688,000 


4,934,000 


9,615,000 


Total tons 


11,399.2 


11,467.5 


21,192.0 



In 1913 the total fish products amounted as follows: 



Fish for the Russian market 
Fish canned for European market 
Roe prepared by Russian method 
Roe prepared by Japanese method 
Fish for Japanese market 



249.8 tons 


1,030.0 


" 


699.7 


<< 


136.6 


" 


19,075.9 


*' 



Total 21,192.0 



Besides, in the canneries of Dembi were prepared 23 cases 
of canned crabs. 

The Catch in the River Distpicts and Bays (N on- Convention Waters) 



Fish 1913 
in tons 

King Salmon 21.9 

Keta 17,584.1 

Humpback 11,293.2 

Silver Salmon - 913.0 

Herring 1.479.0 



Of this fish was prepared: 



Fish for Russian Market 

Fish canned for European Market 

Fish for Japanese Market 

Roe prepared by Russian method 



1,405.2 


tons 


611.1 


« 


2,260.9 


« 


198.1 


<( 



Total 4,475.3 tons 

28 



In 1912 the total quantity of fish prepared was 3,583.3 tons. 
The Total Catch in the Entire District for 1913 



Kind of Fish 



Convention Waters Non-Convention Waters 

number of pieces 



Total 



•King Salmon 
Keta 

Humpback 
Silver Salmon 
Red Salmon 
Herring' 



30.167 


1,315 


31,482 


6,464,224 


1,055,045 


7,519,272 


2,623,997 


647,565 


3,271,592 


98,043 


54,780 


152,823 


399,000 


_ 


399,000 


_ 


88,740 


88,740 



Of this fish the follovsring products were prepared: 



Fish for Russian Market 

Fish canned for European markets 

Fish for Japanese market 

Roe prepared by Russian Method 

■Roe prepared by Japanese method 



Total 



1,655.0 tons 
1,641.1 
21,336.7 
897.8 
136.5 " 

25.667.3 tons 



In 1911 the total quality of fish products were 16,387.6 tons 

In 1912 the total quantity of fish products were 15,662.8 tons 

The foUowimg table gives the general outline of the produc- 
tion of Russian Roe on the Okhotsk-Kamchatsk Coast during 
the period 1909-1913. 

in tons 



Year 



Okhotsk 
Dist. 



Western 
Kamchatsk 



Eastern 
Kamchatsk 



Total 



1909 




56.6 


56.7 


113.3 


1910 


47.6 


359.9 


353.4 


760.0 


1911 


81.5 


699.5 


339.9 


1,120.9 


1912 


166.1 


808.5 


432.2 


1,406.8 


1913 


- 


1,134.5 


198.2 


1,332.6 



29 



CHAPTER V 

THE JAPANESE AND THE RUSSIAN FISHING INDUSTRY 

in the 

RUSSIAN FAR EAST 

As has alreadty been shown above, the Japanese market 
played an important part in the first stage of the development 
of the fishing industry in t^e Nikolaevsk District. But the 
tendency of this market to constantly lower the prices of the- 
fishing products made it finally intolerable for the Nikolaevsk 
fishermen who were forced to seek the Siberian-Russian 
markets. With the Japanese thus engaged in fishing in this, 
district, they exploited it intensively, but at the same time were 
of no usefulness to the local population nor to the state which 
granted them wide possibilities (not counting the insignificant 
tax of 7 kopeks per pood, which was collected by the state on all 
prepared fish products.) The entire work was done by the Jap- 
anese with the aid of Japanese labor, and their supplies, begin- 
ning with food and ending with clothing, as well as all the fish- 
ing implements, were brought entirely from Japan. Thus the 
Japanese forced the population to feel that they were a strange 
element interested only in ravaging the wealth of this popula- 
tion. When the Japanese in 1907 received the right to fish along 
the entire isea coast (excluding the rivers and part of the bays), 
they made great use of this permission and came in great num- 
bers to the Okhotsk-Kamchatsk region. The leases for fishing 
districts were let to Japanese and to Russians by auction on 
equal terms. The nationality of the workers in the sea dis- 
tricts was not restricted, nor was the method of preparation of 
products in any way restricted, the only exception being the 
prohibition on making fertilizer of fish of the salmon species. 
It was permitted to use ships flying a foreign flag in fishing in 
these diiStricts. While competing with Russians in the auction 
sales, the Japanese at once found themselves in a more advan- 

30 



tageous position. The Japanese were in a much more favorable 
condition than the Russians because they had at their dis^posal 
money, (credit), ships, labor, and fishing implements. The fish- 
ing industy is in the same condition as it was in the lower part 
of the Amur up to 1899, before the use of foreign labor in fish- 
ing was prohibited. Japanese were compelled to pay to the 
Government a little more money ; the rental for the lease of the 
district, and certain taxes, such as stamp duty, trade certificates, 
taxes for wood cutting and passport vises. But all of these to- 
gether amounted to from 8 to 15 kopeks per pood of prepared 
products, which was slightly higher than the former 7 kopeks 
per pood. This was the only income that accrued to Russia from 
the Japanese fishing on the Russian sea coasts. The labor was 
as before, Japanese. Their clothing, food supplies, the salt used 
in salting, the fishing nets, and in general all the fishing imple- 
ments were brought from Japan. 

How quickly the fishing industry developed may be seen 
from the fact that prior to the Russo-Japanese war, in the Ok- 
hotsk-Kamchatsk District, during the year 1903, there was put 
up for auction only eight leases, while after the war, in 1907, the 
numiber of fishing leases put up for auction increased 24 times, 
reaching the figure of 192. 

As to the number of leases in this region after the con- 
clusion of the Fisheries Convention, the situation was very much 
the same, as is evident from the following table : 



1907 74 districts 

1908 100 

1909 169 

1910 149 

1911 205 

1912 197 



While fishing in the Russian waters, the Japanese, after 
supplying their own market, began to supply the Chinese market 
with Russian fish. In this respect the follov/ing statistical data, 
obtained from the Russian Vioe-Con&uilate at Hakodate, are 
interesting. 



31 



Quantity of Fish Exported by Japanese from Russian Waters to China. 

1911 1,599.2 tons 

1912 911.5 " 

1913 4,752.9 " 

1914 13,160.2 " 

1915 16,786.7 " 

1916 10,317.3 " 

1917 11,4605 " 

1918 10,918.9 " 

1919 9,345.9 " 

The fish that were exported by Japan to China consisted 
mostly of humpback. Besides these salted fish, the Japanese ex- 
ported to foreign markets annually more than a million poods 
(16,666.7 tons) of canned fish prepared also in Russian waters. 

But even this was not enough for the Japanese, and after 
the revolution, and particularly at the beginning of intervention, 
the Japanese began to demand the right to fish in the rivers and 
bays whch were excluded by the Convention. Besides this, the 
Japanese demanded many other privileges. Not satisfied with 
demands only, the Japanese Military Comlmand seized by force 
almost the entire Russian fishing industry, disregarding the 
rights of the Russian fishermen or the local Russian population. 
In complete violation of the regulations of the Fisheries Con- 
vention, the Japenese are fishing everywhere they please, vio- 
lating all the laws and regulations which were issued for the 
purpose of the preservation of the fishing wealth. Having de- 
stroyed in a rapacious manner their own fishing wealth, the Jap- 
anese are beginning to do the same thing to the Russian waters. 
Only after the departure of the Japanese troops will it be pos- 
sible to restore the Russian fishing industry. 



32 



APPENDIX 

THE NUMBER OF FISHING LEASES AND AVERAGE 
CATCH OF FISH 
in the 
Districts of the Far Eastern Republic and Those Adjacent 

To It. 

The number of fishing leases and the average catch of fish 
during the last years in the districts of the Far Eastern Re- 
public and those adjacent to it may be seen from the following 
tables) : 



A— WATERS OF THE FAR EASTERN REPUBLIC 



I — Bay of Peter the Great 



sea fishing districts 
sea salting districts 
trepang districts 


98 
4 
9 


Boat licenses for fishing: 


fish 

crabs 

shrimps 

sea cabbage 

clams and oysters 


129 
99 
39 
99 
49 


Total Annual Catch 


herring 50.000,000 
fish accompanying herrings 7,000,000 
crabs 500,000 
shrimps 25 
trepangs 4,000,000 
sea cabbage 667 
clams and oysters 1,000,000 


pieces 

« 

tons 
pieces 

tons 
pieces 



33 



II Tartar Strait 



sea fishing districts 
river salting districts 
cod fishing districts 
crab catching districts 




30 

1 

16 

28 




Annual 


Product 




herring 

humpback 

keta 




25,000,000 
500,000 
36,000 


pieces 

« 



III — Basin of the Lower Part of the Amur River and Its Firth 



fishing districts 
salting districts 


24 
18 


Annual Product 


keta 
humpback 

(quantity of keta reached 
15,000.000 and humpback 
9,000,000) 


12,500,000 piipces^ 
6,000,000 pieces 



B— WATERS ADJACENT TO THE FAR EASTERN REPUBLIC 
I — Northern Coast of the Okhotsk Sea 



sea fishing districts 
river fishing districts 
river salting districts 


66 
13 

28 


Annual Product 


keta 3,500,000 
humpback 100,000 
red salmon 75,000 
silver salmon 25,000 


pieces 
« 



II — Western Coast of Kamchatka 



sea fishing districts 179 

river fishing districts 15 

river salting districts 26 

cod fishing districts 15 

crab catching districts 11 



34 



Annual Product 



humpback 

keta 

red salmon 

silver salmon 

king salmon 

herring 



18,000,000 

3,500,000 

800,000 

180,000 

3,000 

50000 



pieces 



III — Eastern Coast of Kamchatka 



sea fishing districts 
river fishing districts 
river salting districts 
cod fishing districts 
crab catching districts 



108 

34 

29 

7 

6 



Annual Product 



red salmon 

keta 

silver salmon 

humpback 

herring 

king salmon 



1,000,000 

3,000,000 

500,000 

1,500,000 

50,000 

30,000 



pieces 



NOTE: The crab catching and the cod fishing districts have just been 
opened up, and therefore their product has not yet been determined. 



35 



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